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No Matter What (Badfinger song)

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"No Matter What"
Cover of the 1970 UK single
Single by Badfinger
from the album No Dice
B-side
Released12 October 1970 (1970-10-12)[1]
RecordedMay 1970
Genre
Length2:57
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)Pete Ham
Producer(s)Mal Evans
Badfinger singles chronology
"Come and Get It"
(1969) 		"No Matter What"
(1970) 		"Day After Day"
(1971)
Official audio
"No Matter What" (remastered 2010) on YouTube

"No Matter What" is a song originally recorded by Badfinger for their album No Dice in 1970, written and sung by Pete Ham and produced by Mal Evans.

Recording

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As a demo, "No Matter What" was originally recorded at a slower tempo by Ham on acoustic guitar (as heard on the posthumous Ham solo CD 7 Park Avenue). A group demo version, played at the same tempo as Ham's acoustic demo, was recorded by Badfinger on 18 April 1970[6] with Mal Evans producing. The song was recorded again in a rockier fashion, at a faster tempo, by the band in May 1970 at Abbey Road Studios, and it was this version that appeared on the album and single.

Although the song and recording was a favourite of Badfinger's shortly after it was completed, the hierarchy at Apple Records reportedly was not inclined to release it in any format. It was not until Al Steckler, the American director of Apple in New York, heard the tape in August 1970 and considered it a strong entry by the band, that it was remixed by engineer/producer Geoff Emerick[7] and slotted for the upcoming LP and as a single release.

Lyrics and music

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According to AllMusic critic Ritchie Unterberger, the lyrics of "No Matter What" are essentially "a pledge of eternal love."[2] Unterberger says that these lyrics are "sung with great infectious lilting cheer, pioneering the 'power pop' style years before that was named by critics."[2] Unterberger noted that the opening guitar chords are "not exactly hard rock and certainly not heavy metal, but dense and gripping."[2] He also pointed out that similar to many Beatles songs, "the melody goes through a few different chord changes on the final line of the bridge than it does in the first half of the bridge, though retaining a similar progression."[2]

The song has a false ending, after the final chorus, where, after a short pause, the last line is repeated twice before the final ending chord.[2]

Release

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The single was released in the United States (12 October 1970), Canada, the Philippines and a few other countries,[8] with the Tom Evans-Pete Ham song "Carry On Till Tomorrow" (the theme song for the movie The Magic Christian) as the B-side. This was an edited version of the recording that had appeared on Badfinger's previous album, Magic Christian Music. In all other countries, the single was backed with the Tom Evans-Joey Molland song "Better Days", which also appeared on No Dice.

Reception

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It was the band's first UK Top 10 single to be composed by Badfinger, reaching number 5 in the UK in January 1971. In the US it peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.[9] In South Africa it topped the charts. The band also scored with "Come and Get It", number 4 in the UK in January 1970, which was composed by Paul McCartney, and "Day After Day", number 10 in the UK in January 1972.

Cash Box described the song as sounding "as though it might have come from a '65 Beatles LP" with "bright vocals and strong instrumentals."[10] Record World said that "millions are going to love Badfinger's new single. The boys have a certain vocal sound that sets them apart."[11]

AllMusic critic Ritchie Unterberger said that "No Matter What" "boasted a strong McCartney-esque melody and very Beatlesque vocal harmony and guitars but felt that "derivative of McCartney it might have been, yet 'No Matter What' rocked a darn sight better than most of the songs McCartney himself put out in the early '70s."[2]

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated it as Badfinger's 3rd best song, saying that it "features one of pop's all-time mightiest hooks" and that "from the terrific opening riff to the false ending, it's pure pop heaven."[12] Classic Rock critic Rob Hughes rated it as Badfinger's 4th best song, calling it "a declaration of loyalty and affection with a Beatlesy middle eight and the kind of hook that became synonymous with the soulful power pop of Big Star and The Raspberries."[13] Hughes also praised Molland's guitar solo.[13] Classic Rock History critic Janey Roberts also rated it as Badfinger's 4th best song.[14]

The song is notable for being one of the first successful records associated with the power pop sound, using all of the elements attributed to the genre. A subsequent single released by Badfinger, "Baby Blue" (Billboard number 14, 1972), along with several album tracks in a similar vein, succeeded in categorizing the band themselves as power pop. This song is ranked number 1 on VH1's "20 Essential Power Pop Tracks That Will Be Stuck In Your Head Forever".[15]

Personnel

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Chart performance

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Def Leppard version

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"No Matter What"
Single by Def Leppard
from the album Yeah!
Released16 May 2005
GenreHard rock
Length2:58
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)Pete Ham
Producer(s)
  • Def Leppard
  • Ronan McHugh
Def Leppard singles chronology
"Long, Long Way to Go"
(2003) 		"No Matter What"
(2005) 		"Rock On"
(2006)
Official audio
"No Matter What" on YouTube

English rock band Def Leppard covered "No Matter What" in 2005, recorded at Joe's Garage, Dublin and distributed by UML (Universal Music Group).[30] It was included on their 2005 compilation album Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection and also on its 2006 album, Yeah!.

Def Leppard began playing the song on their 2005 tour in support of their compilation album Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection along with a cover of David Essex's "Rock On" which appeared on the album.[31]

It reached the 24 place in the US Billboard Adult Top 40 Chart.[32]

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ "Billboard". 17 October 1970.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Unterberger, Richie. Badfinger - No Matter What at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  3. ^ Runtagh, Jordan (8 April 2016). "Catchy, Loud and Proud: 20 Essential Power Pop Tracks That Will Be Stuck In Your Head Forever". VH1. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  4. ^ Hanson, William (1998). "Badfinger/Joey Molland". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 65.
  5. ^ Joe, Bosso (21 November 2010). "Badfinger's Joey Molland on The Beatles, Apple Records reissues and tragedy". MusicRadar. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  6. ^ "The Iveys & Badfinger recording sessions".
  7. ^ "The Iveys & Badfinger recording sessions".
  8. ^ "Badfinger singles: No Matter What".
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 42.
  10. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 17 October 1970. p. 26. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 24 October 1970. p. 1. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  12. ^ Gallucci, Michael (26 April 2013). "Top 10 Badfinger Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  13. ^ a b Hughes, Rob (26 June 2016). "The top 10 best Badfinger songs". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  14. ^ Roberts, Janey (6 September 2019). "Top 10 Badfinger songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Catchy, Loud and Proud: 20 Essential Power Pop Tracks That Will be Stuck in Your Head Forever". Archived from the original on 6 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 6 March 1971. p. 48.
  17. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  18. ^ "Badfinger – No Matter What" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3733." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – No Matter What". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Badfinger – No Matter What" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  22. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  23. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  25. ^ "Badfinger Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  26. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Badfinger – No Matter What" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 20 February 2019. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Badfinger"
  27. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca. 17 July 2013.
  28. ^ "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  29. ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1971". Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  30. ^ "DiscoGS Def - Leppard – No Matter What". Discogs. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Songs played by tour: Rock 'N Roll Double-Header Tour". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  32. ^ "No Matter What (2005) Single Release". Retrieved 23 July 2023.
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